DUSHANBE, May 16, Asia-Plus  -- The issue of establishing a national single center for testing university/college entrants is being discussed in Dushanbe today.  

Suhrob Hojimatov, manager of the program for promoting transparency and accountability, UNDP CO Tajikistan, told Asia-Plus that a donor conference, organized by the Ministry of Education (MoE), UNDP CO and the Tajik Branch of Open Society Institute/Assistance Foundation (OSI/AF), is considering issues related to coordination and mobilization of different resources for establishing the center for testing entrants as an instrument to raise quality of education and strengthen principles of openness and respectability in the education sector as well as exchange of experiences in using this center in other countries.  

The conference, in partciular, is dicussing the project for introducing a new national testing system, the issues stimulate interest of partners and provide assistance with deteremining necessary resourcesa nd appraoches, Hojiimatov said.

He further added that according to the preliminary budget, $.45 million were supposed to be needed for a three-year activity of the naitonal center; however, with regard to inflation this amount now reached $5.5 million.    

            The conference members include senior representatives of the government, relevant ministries and organizations of Tajikistan, Tajik business structures, as well as diplomatic missions, international organizations and financial institutions active in Tajikistan, 10 Tajikistan’s largest enterprises and media.  

We will recall that in a report released at a press conference in Dushanbe, education Minister Abdujabbor Rahmonov revealed on April 10 that on the government has already endorsed the issue of establishing a national single center for testing university/college entrants.  According to him, four universities in the country will have accepted students this year in accordance with a new testing system.  Beginning from the next year, all universities will accept students through the national singe center for testing university/college entrants, the minister said.